Once you have found your way to the outer organization of the Rosicrucians, AMORC—and I would rather say that you have been led there—a “new” life literally begins.
And this becomes apparent time and again in everyday life.
For me, a particularly striking pivotal moment occurred right at the beginning of my membership.
It was literally made clear to me that I had embarked on a path guided by an invisible, spiritual order.
In the initial written instructions, I was told to make the sign of the cross. I will never forget what happened next. I stood upright and made the sign of the cross, just as I knew how and as was customary in the Catholic Church. Suddenly, it seemed as though someone invisible took hold of my hand, guided it away from my body and outward, and, in a way unknown to me, traced the sign of the cross very slowly and deliberately—indeed, memorably—before me on an invisible body.
I still feel the impact of that special moment to this day and will never forget it.
I have often reflected since then on how the gesture of the cross—performed differently and with intention among the Rosicrucians—holds deep significance and should be carried out very deliberately and slowly.
It is also highly recommended to meditate on the cosmic dimension of the cross and its long historical journey to becoming the Christian symbol we know today.
The cross is a symbol dating back thousands of years. Among the Egyptians, it was the ankh—a cross with a horizontal bar—which stood for life, immortality, and connection to the cosmos.
Cross-shaped symbols were also found in Mesopotamia, India, and pre-Columbian cultures, as well as among the Celts, as signs of protection, power, or divine order.
Even before the crucifixion of Christ, the Persians, Carthaginians, and especially the Romans had practiced crucifixion as a particularly cruel and humiliating method of executing slaves, criminals, and rebels.
For this reason, Christians did not choose the cross as their emblem, but rather symbols such as the Chi-Rho monogram of Christ or the fish, to secretly identify one another.
It was not until the 4th century (after the Edict of Constantine) that the cross in Christianity transformed from a mark of shame into an official symbol of salvation and victory.
Since then, it has become an indispensable part of the history of Christianity. And we encounter the cross not only in churches, but also as a mountaintop cross, in art, and as a fashionable pendant every day, without even giving it a second thought. It is usually performed out of habit, like a routine exercise.
Now to the special form of the cross in the Rosicrucian tradition.
Here, the sign of the cross is transferred to the subtle/invisible level of the human being (aura/ether or astral body) to provide energetic protection and harmonization. And to establish a connection between mind and body.
By tracing the cross in the aura or at the subtle centers (chakras), a protective space is created against disruptive influences.
It is also intended to bring the subtle, invisible body into harmony with cosmic energies and to center and focus the consciousness.
I hope and wish that this brief description of the hidden cosmic significance of the cross, as practiced by the Rosicrucians, will inspire you to reflect on and meditate upon the symbol for yourself.
